HAVE YOU EVER IGNORED THE VOICE OF THE LORD? HAVE YOU EVER KNOWN THE LORD WAS REQUIRING YOUR PRESENCE AND YOUR TROUBLES WERE TOO HEAVY OR YOUR SORROW TOO GREAT FOR YOU TO PAY HIM ANY MIND?
DURING THE TIME THAT JESUS WAS WALKING THE EARTH , THERE WAS A FAMILY THAT HE LOVED DEARLY AND WAS VERY CLOSE TO . THE SCRIPTURES TELL US THERE WERE TWO SISTERS , MARY AND MARTHA, AND ONE BROTHER ,LAZARUS. YOU MAY ALREADY BE FAMILIAR WITH THE STORY OF MARY AND MARTHA . THEY WERE TWO SISTERS WHO HAD DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES ON HOW THEY SHOULD MINISTER TO JESUS. MARTHA , WHEN JESUS CAME TO HER HOME, BUSIED HERSELF WITH FOOD AND DISHES AND CLEANING AND SERVED HIM IN THE NATURAL WAY MOST WOMAN SERVE, THE COMPANY THEY RECEIVE INTO THEIR HOME. WHEREAS MARY, IGNORED ALL THAT BUSY-NESS TO SIT AT HIS FEET AND MINISTER TO HIM BY SHARING HER TIME WITH HIM, ABSORBING EVERY WORD, SITTING ALMOST FACE TO FACE , BREATHING THE SAME AIR SO TO SPEAK. ALL SHE WANTED WAS TO BE WITH HIM. MARY GAVE OF JESUS HER TIME AND ATTENTION OUT OF THE LOVE SHE HAD FOR HIM. MARTHA WAS UPSET AND COMPLAINED TO JESUS BUT HE SAID SHE CHOSE THE BEST PART AND HE WASN'T GOING TO TAKE IT FROM HER.
DO YOU REMEMBER YOUR FIRST LOVE OR YOUR DEEPEST LOVE I SHOULD SAY? ALL YOU WANTED TO DO IS BE WITH THEM . EVERYTHING THEY SAID WAS HILARIOUS AND GOSPEL. IRONIC I KNOW. THEY WERE PERFECT IN YOUR EYES AND YOU REARRANGED YOUR WHOLE LIFE TO BE WITH THEM. THIS IS WHAT MARY WAS DOING. SHE LOVED HIM AND SHE WAS NOT CONCERNED WITH THE DISHES. SHE HEARD HE WAS THERE AND SHE THREW OFF EVERY NATURAL INCLINATION TO BE PROPER AND WENT FOR THE GOOD STUFF. SHE WANTED HIM AND ALL HIS FRIENDS COULD SEE A MESSY KITCHEN SHE DIDN'T CARE BECAUSE SHE WANTED HIM! LOVE WAS IN THE AIR AND LIFE WAS GOOD!!!
WELL, THERE WAS A TIME FOR THIS FAMILY ,WHEN THINGS WERE NOT SO GOOD. LIFE IS FULL OF UPS AND DOWNS, HILLS AND VALLEYS, HAPPINESS AND SORROW, NOTHING STAYS THE SAME. THOUGH IF THINGS DIDN'T CHANGE , WE WOULD NEVER LEARN AND GROW.
IN JOHN CHAPTER 11 , JESUS HAS GONE OUT INTO THE WORLD TO MINISTER AND LAZARUS, THE WOMEN'S BROTHER HAS DIED. THE SADDEST PART IS THAT WORD WAS SENT TO JESUS THAT LAZARUS , WHOM HE LOVED, THE SCRIPTURES SAY, WAS SICK AND BY APPEARANCES SAKE HE DIDN'T SEEM TO CARE! HE SAID....AHH ITS NOT UNTO DEATH BUT UNTO THE GLORY OF GOD AND HE HUNG OUT 2 MORE DAYS, TILL HE DIED THEN HE DECIDED TO RETURN TO HIS HOME.
HOW MANY TIMES HAVE YOU SEEN THINGS BEGIN TO TAKE PLACE IN YOUR LIFE AND YOU'RE LIKE...."WHAT ?" AND YOU ASK GOD THE MOST POPULAR QUESTION EVER ASKED OF HIM ... "WHY?" WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS , WHY DIDN'T YOU SAVE HIM? WHY DIDN'T YOU SHOW UP? WHY DIDN'T YOU ANSWER ME RIGHT AWAY?
I BELIEVE THE ANSWER IS IN THE TEXT : JESUS IS RETURNING TO THE FAMILY AND THIS IS WHAT TRANSPIRES:
John 11:20 Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met him: but Mary sat still in the house.
WHAT?????????? MY HOW THE TABLES HAVE TURNED. MARY , WHO ONCE FORSOOK ALL PRIDE TO SIT AND HANG ON EVERY WORD OF JESUS' . HEARS THAT HE'S COMING AND SITS THERE. CAN YOU SENSE THE TENSION . THERE IS A WALL BEING PUT UP, AGAINST JESUS!
HOW MANY TIMES HAVE YOU BEEN FACED WITH GREAT SORROW AND TURNED AWAY FROM GOD. IT'S O.K. TO ADMIT IT. WE GET MAD SOMETIMES TOO.
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YET, WHEN YOU NEEDED THE ONE YOU LOVED THE MOST YOU IGNORED THE FACT THAT HE WAS COMING TO YOU. JESUS WAS COMING TO HER . THINK FOR A MOMENT WHAT THIS MEANT. IN HER SORROW SHE COULD HAVE FALLEN INTO HIS WILLING ARMS AND WEPT HERSELF EMPTY OF THAT PAIN. AND WHAT'S MORE SHE COULD'VE BEEN HEALED OF THAT PAIN. YES, SHE KNEW HE WAS A HEALER. WHY DO YOU THINK SHE CONTINUED TO SIT THERE? ANYONE THAT HAS EXPERIENCED THIS KIND OF PAIN CAN RELATE. DO YOU THINK PERHAPS SHE WAS MAD AT JESUS? I DO. THEY CALLED HIM, AFTER ALL, AND HE DIDN'T COME. SHE WAS , WHAT WE CALL, WALLOWING IN IT! THE KING OF THE UNIVERSE WAS COMING AND SHE COULD CARE LESS. HER PAIN WAS GREATER, FOR THE MOMENT......
LET'S CONTINUE READING: MARTHA , WAS THE "HEAVY" IN THIS SITUATION. SHE HAD QUESTIONS AND SHE WASN'T GONNA WAIT AROUND SHE WENT BOLDLY BEFORE HIM AND CONFRONTED HIM
VS.21
John 11:21 Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.
John 11:22 But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee.
John 11:23 Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again.
John 11:24 Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.
John 11:25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:
John 11:26 And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?
John 11:27 She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world.
John 11:28 And when she had so said, she went her way, and called Mary her sister secretly, saying, The Master is come, and calleth for thee.
John 11:29 As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly, and came unto him.
WHAT AN AWESOME GOD WE SERVE. HE KNEW HER SORROW REQUIRED SPECIAL ATTENTION, SO HE REQUESTS HER BY NAME, AND WHAT DOES VS. 29 SAY, SHE AROSE QUICKLY AND CAME TO HIM. SHE TORE DOWN THE TEMPORARY WALL AND RAN TO HER JESUS. SHE RAN TO HIM . SHE RAN TO HEALING AND COMFORT . SHE RAN TO HER SALVATION. SHE RAN TO THE ONLY ONE WHO COULD SAVE HER. SHE WAS TEMPORARILY HANDICAPPED BUT CAME TO HER SENSES AND RAN TO HIM WHOM SHE LOVED.
PEOPLE THERE IS NO VALLEY SO DEEP OR PAIN SO GREAT THAT CAN NOT BE HEALED WHEN JESUS CALLS OUT TO US . IF WE RUN QUICKLY TO HIM, HE WILL HOLD US WILLINGLY AND EAGERLY WIPE OUR TEARS.
THE STORY CONTINUES WITH MARY COMING TO HIM AND FALLING AT HIS FEET. THEIR GRIEF MOVES HIM TO TEARS . JESUS WEPT, THE WORD SAYS. MY FRIENDS JESUS LOVES YOU AS MUCH AS HE DOES THIS FAMILY . WHEN YOU WEEP ,HE WEEPS. HE CAN'T KEEP HIS EYES OFF YOU EITHER, AND HE HANGS ON YOUR EVERY WORD. THE BIBLE SAYS HE IS CONTINUOUSLY INTERCEEDING ON OUR BEHALF BEFORE THE THRONE. TALKING TO HIS DADDY ABOUT HIS BEAUTIFUL BRIDE . WHOM HE ADORES.
THE END OF THE STORY IS THAT JESUS RESURRECTS LAZARUS, BRINGS HIM BACK TO LIFE. THE SISTERS GET THEIR BROTHER BACK. I KNOW WHAT SOME OF YOU MAY SAY.....WHEN WE GRIEVE THE LOSS OF A LOVED ONE , AND WE CRY OUT TO GOD , THEY ARE NOT RETURNED TO US AS LAZARUS WAS, THAT STUFF ONLY HAPPENS IN FAIRY TALES AND THE BIBLE , WRONG BECAUSE THEIR ARE SOME THAT ARE, AND ALL FOR THE GLORY OF GOD, DO NOT CAMP OUT ON THE POINT OF WHO GETS TO STAY AND WHO GETS TO GO , THAT IS A SERMON FOR ANOTHER DAY ,BUT FOCUS ON WHAT IS TAKING PLACE HERE.
WE ARE NOT ALONE IN OUR GRIEF. JESUS COMES TO US IN SPIRIT AND IN TRUTH . HE HAS SENT A COMFORTER TO US . WE ARE NOT ALONE. IF YOU FIND YOURSELF IN SUCH A PLACE DO NOT BUILD UP A WALL OR IGNORE THE CALL OF THE ONE THAT CAN BRING HEALING AND COMFORT. HE KNOWS YOUR PAIN, AND HE GRIEVES WITH YOU. HE LOVES YOU AND WANTS TO BE YOUR ALL IN ALL. HE WANTS TO BE THE ONE YOU COME TO. HE DOESN'T WANT YOU TO RUN TO ALCOHOL OR DRUGS OR FOOD OR PEOPLE FIRST. RUN TO HIM FIRST AND THEN HE WILL SEND PEOPLE TO HELP YOU THROUGH YOUR SORROW. HE MUST BE FIRST IN YOUR LIFE. NO ONE ELSE CAN SAVE YOU. HE IS YOUR HERO, YOUR KNIGHT IN SHINING ARMOR. DO NOT TURN AWAY FROM HIM.
I PROMISE , HE WILL RESCUE YOU IN A WAY YOU LEAST EXPECT. HE IS THE PERFECT GENTLEMEN AND WON'T LEAVE YOU COMFORTLESS. HE IS LOVESICK FOR YOU AND ALSO VERY HUMAN . HE IS NO STRANGER TO THE PAINS AND DESIRES OF OUR HEART. TURN TO HIM AND LIKE A PERFECT GENTLEMEN HE WILL MEET YOU WHERE YOU YOU ARE.
